Microsoft secures Android patent agreements from two more vendors

Two more Android vendors have agreed to pay Microsoft licensing fees in response to the company’s claims that Google’s free mobile OS contains Microsoft patented technology.

The latest vendors to pay up are EINS SE, which sells Android tablets under the Cat brand in Germany, and Hoeft & Wessel, which makes handheld devices and terminals for transportation, logistics and retail companies in Europe.

Both companies agreed to pay Microsoft royalties on their Android device sales in exchange for “broad coverage” under Microsoft’s patent portfolio. Microsoft, which announced the deals on Tuesday, didn’t provide financial details about them.

EINS and Hoeft & Wessel join other Android OEMs that have agreed to similar deals with Microsoft instead of battling it out in court with the software giant. Among those which have signed Android-related agreements with Microsoft are Sharp, HTC and Samsung.

Microsoft’s campaign to secure these deals from Android OEMs has incensed Google. The Internet search giant has portrayed Microsoft’s efforts as anti-competitive and driven by Microsoft’s inability to match Android’s success in recent years in the smartphone and tablet markets with its Windows and Windows Phone OSes.

For comprehensive coverage of the Android ecosystem, visit Greenbot.com.